In the summer of 2013 our focus on development issues broadened to include a topic of great concern to Tanzanians in the communities where we lived and worked: Climate Change. Beginning with our first safari into the semi-arid savannah of Tarangire Wildlife Reserve we observed how drought was affecting the migration of game and the livelihood of Maasai pastoralists. In the coffee growing communities of Rongai farmers told us how their crop patterns and farming techniques had shifted for the worse as a result of global warming and deforestation.

A Global Partnership: The Wheaton Tree Nursery

Our local host coordinators, Justin Sianga Mkenda and Justin Moshi had the inspiration to apply to the local district council for a plot of land to build a tree nursery. They had two goals in mind: to begin the reforestation process in the farming communities of Kilimanjaro and to educate young people about the dangers of global warming and the need for conservation. They dedicated the nursery in Wheaton’s name in appreciation for the teaching assistance that Wheaton students have provided to students in their rural secondary schools.

How Can Wheaton Students Help?

Learning

Toward the end of our teaching program we were taken on a surprise journey for the dedication of the nursery. We learned about local concerns with deforestation and the different varieties of trees that were being raised in the nursery and what they could contribute to conservation efforts in the district. We were also taught how to care for and transplant seedlings.

Doing

The next day we traveled for a site visit to a neighboring region where we learned about the development challenges facing resettled Maasai pastoralists in the conservation corridor of Lerang’wa. At the end of our visit we planted trees in a newly established health clinic for maternal and infant care.

Teaching

Our local coordinators plan to continue their tree planting efforts until we return in the summer of 2014, with the goal planting 100, 000 trees this year. To continue with these efforts and to expand into writing and presenting a teaching module in the schools, they hope to raise funds as well as awareness beyond their community. They asked us to please spread the word and, with that in mind, the 2013 program participants created the digital story, “These Roots Run Deep.” We plan to incorporate a conservation component into our teaching plans for the 2014 program.